Textual variant
The Comma Johanneum
Editions of 1 John differ on whether verses 7-8 contain an explicitly trinitarian clause naming the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost as bearing record in heaven. The King James Version includes the clause; most modern critical editions and translations do not.
Variant, not contradiction
Variant unit
Manuscript- Unit
- 1 John 5:7-8
- Passages
- 1 John 5:71 John 5:8
- Readings recorded
- 2
Text as seeded
TextThe passage text CodexTrace holds, in the seeded translation.
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Readings
ManuscriptWith the heavenly witnesses clause
Verse 7 reads "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
Translation: Present in the King James Version.
Without the clause
The text speaks only of three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood.
Translation: Reflected in most modern translations.
Witness evidence
ManuscriptManuscripts, versions and citations supporting each reading, with the source each entry came from.
Research pending. CodexTrace has not curated a witness list for this variant unit, and does not approximate one — an unverified siglum is indistinguishable from a verified one to most readers. Curating this requires attaching witness rows, each with its own source record.
Translation and interpretive impact
InterpretationTranslation impact
This is one of the most visible differences between the King James Version and modern translations in the epistles.
Interpretive impact
The clause is the only place in the New Testament where the three are named together in that formulation, so its textual status is significant for arguments that appeal to it.
Manuscript resources
ManuscriptManuscript evidence has not yet been curated for this record.
Linked contradiction records
AnalysisClaims whose tension may be explained, in whole or part, by this variant.
No contradiction record is linked to this variant.
Sources
Source- [1]
CodexTrace. "CodexTrace editorial research". licence: CC-BY-4.0
Critical / scholarlyotherCC-BY-4.0 - [2]
King James Version (Authorised Version)
"King James Version (Authorised Version)". licence: public-domain-us
Primarytranslationpublic-domain-usLink unverified
Community
CommunityCommunity discussion requires a configured Supabase project on this deployment. Research pages are unaffected.